b.
21 May 1863
at
Salford
,
Lancashire
, the eldest of the 7 children of
JohnWilliams
(
1828
-
1877
),
warehouseman
, formerly of
Tynygraig
,
Garthgarmon
, near
Llanrwst
, and his first wife
EllenWilliams
(
1838
-
1874
), formerly of
Bethel
, near
Llandderfel, Mer.
He was at
Manchester Grammar School
from
January 1875 until December 1876
when he began to be employed on
21 December
at ‘
Mr. Salmon's, Machinist, Manchester
’ at a wage of five shillings per week. He entered the
Civil Service
by examination,
c. 1880
, joining the
Exchequer and Audit Department
as a
Second Division Clerk
, and remaining in that service until
1900
. In
1900
, at the invitation of
GeorgeDavison
, late of
Plas Wern Fawr
,
Harlech
(now the home of
Coleg Harlech
), who had himself been in the
Exchequer and Audit Department
,
Williams
joined
Kodak Limited
as
Secretary
; he remained with that company until
1928
. Before he had left the
Civil Service
he had taken by external examinations the degrees of
B.A.
, and
LL.B., London
. He also qualified as a
barrister
as of the
Middle Temple
, but was never formally
called to the Bar
. While he was with
Kodak LimitedWilliams
travelled extensively in
Europe
(including
Russia
),
South Africa
, and
Egypt
, organising
Kodak
branches, etc., mainly in his capacity as an expert
accountant
.

In his early years in
London
he was a member of
Shirland Road CM Chapel
; he was actively connected with the
Cymru Fydd
movement, and was a member of the
Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion
, and an early member of the
Fabian Society
. After his retirement from
Kodak
he became associated actively with several other societies, institutions, and bodies. Among these were
Coleg Harlech
(
Treasurer
,
1927-48
, and subsequently
Vice-President
);
Urdd Gobaith Cymru
(
Treasurer1931-42
), the
Labour Party
— he supported a Welsh Labour weekly
Y Dinesydd
, the
Workers' Educational Association
, the
Caernarfonshire Historical Society
, the
Cambrian Archaeological Association
.

One major interest which he shared with his wife
MaryWilliams
(
1873
-
1942
), of
London
and formerly
Ruthin
, whom he married in
1903
, was
mountaineering
. He climbed in
north Wales
and the
Alps
with such pioneers as
Owen GlynneJones,
RoderickWilliams
,
J.M. ArcherThomson
, and
G.D.
and
A.P.Abraham
; he had joined the
Alpine Club
in
1903
and was also a member of the
Climbers' Club
. He was a contributor to
S.H.Hamer
,
Dolomites
(
1910
, 2nd ed.,
1926
) and to
Cassell
's
Storehouse
, ed. by
S.H.Hamer
. He had a large private library and had throughout the years
collected Welsh books and works on mountaineering
. He d.
10 August 1949
.